As she walked away, he motioned to Shelby, who owned the bar with her husband, Levi.
“You ready for another one?” She started to grab a chilled mug out the cooler.
“No, I’m good. But put those ladies’ next round on my tab.” He tilted his head in the direction they were seated.
“Gotcha.” She closed the cooler before heading back down to the far end of the bar.
“Hey! I wasn’t expecting to see you tonight.” A female voice exclaimed from behind him.
He pivoted on the stool and saw Kenzie. She was one-half of the documentary team that had followed him around for the past year. He’d spent every day with her for the 365 days leading up to his fight. But he hadn’t seen her for the past five days, not since they’d left Vegas.
In that time, she’d gotten married. When they came to Hope Falls for his training, she’d reconnected with fellow firefighter Eli Bishop. They knew each other growing up and apparently, things had moved quickly since then. He’d texted her since the nuptials, but this was the first time he’d seen her in person.
“Congratulations!” Gabe stood up and pulled her into a brief bear hug. “I’m so happy for you.”
“Thanks! I still can’t believe it.” Kenzie was glowing as her new husband stepped up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist.
“Congrats, man.” Gabe nodded at him.
“Thanks.” Eli’s smile took up his entire face.
Both of the newlyweds were beaming with contented joy.
“Marriage looks good on you guys,” Gabe observed before teasing, “I do feel like a thank you is in order, though.”
“A thank you?” Kenzie’s head tilted to the side in question.
“I think we all—” Gabe waved his hand in a circle between the trio “—can agree that this reunion would’ve never occurred without a certain someone facilitating it by moving their camp to Hope Falls.” He ended his statement with a loud clearing of his throat.
Kenzie chuckled as she shook her head.
“Not only that,” Gabe pointed out, “but, I seem to remember giving a desperate man a room number and, if memory serves, since that day the two of you have been inseparable. I think we can all agree that my matchmaking skills were both subtle yet effective.”
“Oh, yeah,” Kenzie continued laughing. “Yeah, they were real subtle, Gabe. Almost nonexistent, in fact.”
Eli didn’t address Gabe’s cupid claim as he asked, “How are you feeling?”
“I’m good.” He would be a lot better if Adriana would text him back. He’d done all he could there and if his illness had taught him anything, it was to let go of the things you had no control over. “Seriously, though, what are you two doing here? What brought you newlyweds out of hibernation?”
“Marco sent out the bat signal that you are official.” Eli motioned over his shoulder where all the guys from the house were playing pool in the back game area.
“Right.” Gabe kept forgetting that’s why he was here tonight: to bond with his new crew.
“Congrats, man. I’m really happy you decided to stick around.” Eli slapped him on the shoulder.
Gabe nodded. “Thanks.”
Shelby planted two drinks down on the bar top with a broad smile. “On the house, for the newlyweds.”
“Thanks, Shelby.” Kenzie beamed.
Eli reached out and picked them up. “If I knew we could drink for free, we would’ve gotten married sooner.”
A look passed between Kenzie and Eli, and he shrugged with a sheepish, yet mischievous grin. “What? Too soon?”
Kenzie playfully swatted her husband’s arm, and Gabe knew there was a story there, he just had no idea what it was.
Kenzie was still shaking her head as she told Gabe, “I just wanted to say hi. We’re gonna go join the others.”
“I’ll be over in a sec.”
Gabe had played two games of pool with all the guys from the station and then dipped out to get a beer.
That was probably twenty minutes ago.
As much as he appreciated that everyone had come out, his mind had been consumed with trying to puzzle out who Adriana was and if she’d felt the same spark that he had. So far, all evidence was pointing to a big fat no. If her lack of response was anything to go on, she had zero interest in him.
Still, he couldn’t stop thinking about her. Not because she was somewhat of a mystery since she wasn’t the person he’d thought she was. Although that had piqued his curiosity.
He’d replayed their first interactions back, and there were definitely clues that should’ve stood out to him, but he’d been so infatuated he’d ignored them. To begin with, she did tell him her name was Adriana, not Rena. To be fair, he had asked her if she was there to see him and she’d said yes. No hesitation.
There was also the discrepancy about her cousin passing and not her sister, but he figured maybe Maxi had just gotten that detail wrong. It seemed as if they had been as close as sisters, anyway. Now that he thought about it, she had gone full deer-in-headlights when he’d brought up the blog. She seemed a little amateur at the whole interview process.
It’s just that she was so easy to talk to he’d almost forgotten that they were doing an interview.
It had been one of the strangest days in the best possible way.
He lifted his beer and took a swig and tried to put Adriana out of his mind. He was driving himself insane and for what? The ball was firmly in her court. His one phone call and three texts had firmly placed it there.
He glanced around the bar. It was a busy Friday night at JT’s. This was the only nightlife in town and since tourist season was in full swing, it was filled with a good amount of out-of-towners. After a month of being in Hope Falls, he was now able to spot the difference.
As he watched people laughing, drinking, and dancing he realized that the feeling was back. Emptiness, in his chest like a hole, had once again taken hold of him. He was surrounded by people, yet he felt isolated. Alone. He’d first felt this way when he’d left his doctor’s office after his initial diagnosis.
He’d never forget that day.
The sun was shining and it was a beautiful, seventy-degree day. Eight people were waiting at the crosswalk that led from the medical building to the parking structure. Gabe was standing in the middle of them, and he looked at their faces, really looked. If he closed his eyes now, he’d still be able to see them all. There were three men and five women. All different heights, ethnicities, and ages. Some were on their phones, others seemed impatient, and there was a couple discussing whether to have spaghetti or tacos for dinner that night.
As he stared at each one of their faces, an epiphany struck him. None of them had any idea of the news he’d just been given. How his life had just changed in the blink of an eye. None of those people knew him. And he didn’t know them. At the time, he’d thought the emptiness would pass when he was around his family and friends again, but it never did. It just stayed there. He was sure that he hadn’t helped things by withdrawing, but whatever the reason, it was there. For years.
But after spending the morning with Adriana, it had gone away. That void wasn’t sitting in his chest. He’d had a slight reprieve from it and now the dull ache of loneliness had returned.
Gabe had no idea if he was ever going to see Adriana again, but now that he’d experienced the brief alleviation of that weight and pain he determined in his mind that he would find a way to get to there again. She’d shown him something that he hadn’t known was possible. He’d been convinced that he would always carry that emptiness. Connecting with Adriana had shown him that wasn’t the case. So all he had to do now was work, on his own, to get that same result.
He’d always been a firm believer that as great or horrible as people or circumstances might be in life, what you feel is an inside job. It’s no one else’s responsibility to make you happy.
He set his beer down and stood, ready to go back and hang out with the guys that had come here ton
ight to welcome him to Station 8. He had a whole new family to get to know. No more hiding in the corner. It was time to start living. Not pretending to live. Really live.
As he started to make his way across the bar, he put his phone back in his pocket. Half-jokingly he thought to himself that maybe Adriana wasn’t real. Maybe she was an angel sent to show him that he didn’t have to live with that dark void. Then he immediately heard his brother’s voice in his head saying, “Only you would think that the only way it would be possible that a woman wouldn’t be interested in you is if she was an ethereal being.”
Smiling to himself, he weaved through the tables. He was only feet away from the back room with the pool tables when he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand straight up. He turned his head and looked over his shoulder and his chest squeezed so tight he couldn’t take a breath. What he saw knocked the wind right out of him.
Adriana was standing at the entrance of the bar wearing a red dress that molded to every curve of her body and made his angel theory fly right out of the window.
She was real. She was hot as sin. And she was here.
*
Before the door even closed behind Adriana, she felt a flash flood of self-consciousness. As her eyes scanned the bar, she saw that everyone here was dressed much more casually than she was. Most were in jeans and cutoff shorts; a few women were in yoga pants and tank tops. She might’ve been a little too excited for a night out.
Taking in a nervous breath, she glanced down at herself and ran her hands nervously down the bodice of her red ribbed tank dress to straighten out any wrinkles. It was form-fitted with a hem that hit her just below the knee but had a tendency to bunch up, which was why she hadn’t worn it since before she was pregnant. Bunching material and babies didn’t mix well. But she loved the way it clung to her in all the right places, emphasizing her petite curves. She’d paired the dress with black gladiator sandals and had felt like a million bucks as she’d stared into the bathroom mirror before leaving Sue Ann’s. Now, not so much.
Maybe she should go back and change. Or maybe she should just go back to Sue Ann’s and stay there. Or maybe she should just not care about whether or not she fit in with everyone and stick to her plan of seeing Gabe and telling him about Jonah.
“Hey.” A deep male voice penetrated the voices talking over each other in her brain.
When she looked up, she saw a good-looking guy in his early twenties standing in front of her. He was staring at her intently, and she felt a nice boost of confidence from the attention. She wasn’t interested at all, but it was nice to feel like she still had it.
Maybe this dress wasn’t a bad idea after all, she thought.
She was trying to figure out how to be friendly but not lead him on when he inclined his head toward her. “You’re blocking the door.”
“Oh, sorry,” she apologized as she darted to the side allowing the attractive guy and the girl she hadn’t seen hanging on his arm to exit the building.
A smile cracked on her face as she lowered her head and lifted her hand to touch her cheeks, which she was sure were as red as her dress. She knew that she was out of practice when it came to talking with the opposite sex, but she was rustier than she’d thought.
As she stared down at her shoes, taking a moment to collect herself, she realized that she was out of practice talking to anyone over the age of ten.
She made a mental note to start spending more time with adults. There were moms at the park that had always been friendly. She’d make a point of inviting them over for a playdate for the kids.
“I see the reverse psychology worked.”
Goosebumps broke out on her skin. This time when she looked up, it wasn’t a stranger’s eyes she met. Gabe’s golden gaze was focused on her. Adriana felt the stare supercharge the air surrounding her.
The first time she’d seen the twin’s dad, he was up on stage singing with his band. She could still remember the electrical surge that had zapped through her when his eyes had found her in the crowd. She’d felt it run the entire length of her body, like a current rushing in her veins.
This was that feeling times a thousand.
She’d spent at least an hour with Gabe earlier in the day, and she would’ve thought that his sex appeal would be less potent because she’d already been exposed to it. It was the opposite. Her body was responding worse—or better, depending on how she looked at it—than the first time she’d laid eyes on him.
Just like when he’d approached her at the café, she was struck with his distinct air of alpha energy. In her scan of the bar, she’d noted that it was filled with men, some of which were arguably as ruggedly handsome as Gabe. But none of them held that extra edge of authority, command, and charisma that felt unique to him.
“Hi,” she said weakly.
The greeting sounded so lame in her head compared to his opener but, as she’d already identified, she was rusty when it came to adult interactions.
“I’m glad you came.” His lop-sided grin sent a flood of sensations whipping through her.
She just nodded in response. Flirty banter wasn’t exactly something she excelled at in this stage of her life. Her strengths were limited to refereeing three-year-olds, coloring, and playing princess. None of which she could use now.
“You look incredible.” His eyes remained locked with hers.
“Thanks.” Her throat tightened as the heat of his stare pulsed through her. She swallowed, and it took a little more effort than usual.
“Can I get you a drink?”
Liquid courage. “Yes.”
She had a mission. There was an important job that needed to be done, and she had to stop letting herself get distracted.
Jonah.
On the way to the bar, Gabe’s hand rested just below her shoulder blades as he guided her through the jam-packed bar. The warmth and weight of his palm radiated through the cotton material and made her feel secure and protected. Thanks to the cut of the back of her dress, Gabe’s fingertips were touching her bare skin. She could feel the rough callouses on them. The sensation that they caused were setting off all kinds of alarms in her. They were making her feel things and think things she had absolutely no right to entertain.
By the time they were halfway to the bar, Adriana’s breathing was shallow and her lips were tingling. It felt exactly like the time she’d accidentally mistaken a stick of Vicks VapoRub for ChapStick. The twins were six months old and she’d come down with bronchitis. She’d been half asleep when she’d grabbed what she thought was lip balm and smeared it on her mouth. Within seconds, her mistake was evident. Her lips had burst with sensation. They were doing the same thing now, and she didn’t know if it was from lack of oxygen or spiked arousal. She also felt a little lightheaded.
Thankfully, Gabe stopped and pulled out a chair from one of the only open tables in the bar. She gratefully slid into it, happy not to be on her feet when her head was spinning.
The music was loud, and there was quite a bit of chatter around them, but she easily heard Gabe’s deep voice as he asked, “What can I get you?”
“Lemon drop.”
He nodded and moved away.
As she waited, she took in the space. There was a jukebox against the far wall, a couple pool tables in the back, and a long bar that ran the entire length of the building that was packed with people. It was so strange for her to be surrounded by this many adults.
“Here you go.” Gabe made it back to the table in record time.
He set her delicious looking lemon drop martini down in front of her and then took his seat catty-cornered to her. Just like the placement of his hand on her back, the arrangement wasn’t what she’d expected, and she liked it. It felt intimate.
Lifting his beer, he said, “To new friends.”
“To new friends,” she parroted as she curved her fingers around the martini glass and clinked it against his beer mug.
Adhering to cheers etiquette, she tried to maintain eye cont
act as they both took their first drink. She failed. The second her lips touched the sugared rim of the glass, and the cold, refreshing liquid slid into her mouth, her eyelids closed as she basked in the indulgence. It tasted so good and knowing that there would be no little people, needing her attention after drinking it made it all the sweeter.
When she set her glass down and opened her eyes she saw Gabe staring at her with a twinkle in his eyes. “That good, huh?”
“So good.” She said.
“I feel you.” Gabe leaned into her. Because of how they were seated, he was able to get very close.
Her heart raced and she thought for a moment he was going to try to taste it…off her lips. All of the reasons why that would be a mistake disappeared from her thoughts. Her deception. Jonah. Emily. None of those things existed at the thought of him kissing her.
Instead, he simply said, “If it were legal I would’ve married the roast beef sandwich I had at Sue Ann’s earlier today.”
Then he leaned back into his seat.
Adriana burst out laughing. Partially because what he’d said was funny, but more because of tension being broken.
That had been a close one. As much as she’d love nothing more than to have a fun night of flirting, that couldn’t happen. One more sip of liquid courage and she was going to confess her real reasons for being here.
She downed another gulp of her delightful lemon drop, and as she set it down, he reached out and touched her wrist. “That’s beautiful.”
Her eyes shot down to where his fingers were lightly grazing the sensitive skin beneath her palm, and she saw that he was talking about her bracelet. It was a piece she’d designed when the twins were born. She wore it all the time so she forgot it was there. It had a delicate gold chain and in the center were two puzzle pieces that were interconnected.
“It’s mine,” she explained. “I mean, I designed it.”
“You designed this?”
“That’s what I do. I design jewelry.”
“Wow.” He looked even closer at it. “I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s so…you. It’s perfect.”
Damn.
Fire and Foreplay Page 8
